Dealing With Headaches
polycounter lvl 10
so i recently started getting pretty chronic headaches, and they seem to be pretty constant. i just have a lot of neck tension and get weird pains/numbness around the crown of my head. overall, it's very uncomfortable, and unfortunately, somewhat linked to computer usage.
i have been doing some stretches, been exercising, and trying to get outside some, but i still can't seem to work at a computer for more than a few hours. taking breaks helps some, but it's still not enough.
overall, i've honestly become concerned that i'm not going to be able to work in the industry if i'm having such a huge problem (and this is fairly recent, as i've been at the computer for years with pretty much no problems).
i was just curious if anybody else has headaches, because i know that it seems to be a pretty common ailment for people who have a career at the computer. more importantly, i was wondering if anybody has found a pretty effective way of working around it
i have been doing some stretches, been exercising, and trying to get outside some, but i still can't seem to work at a computer for more than a few hours. taking breaks helps some, but it's still not enough.
overall, i've honestly become concerned that i'm not going to be able to work in the industry if i'm having such a huge problem (and this is fairly recent, as i've been at the computer for years with pretty much no problems).
i was just curious if anybody else has headaches, because i know that it seems to be a pretty common ailment for people who have a career at the computer. more importantly, i was wondering if anybody has found a pretty effective way of working around it
Replies
I have no such problems yet, or any solution to yours. But just out of curiosity, how is your current setup? Got a supportive chair? Are you using a CRT monitor?.. that kind of stuff. Sometimes the lighting in the room can affect you as well.
Got a desk lamp, replaced my crt's with lcd's of the same size and model, went for an eye exam and got glasses, and got rid of any fluorescent lighting in my work area. It took about a week after the last change but i rarely have issues now.
Take breaks often, stay hydrated, avoid too much caffeine
Numbness is never a good sign, not that I want to scare you but if it worries you I'd go see a doctor even if it is for peace of mind.
I lived on Advil for a good year, went to a few doctors to figure it out.
The headaches would not stop
At the time, my posture was really terrible, and I kind've knew that my diet was bad but didn't think much of it. I lived on coffee to get me by the long crunch hours.
So, I took the doc's advice and tried to fix these issues.
I started doing deadlifts to strengthen my core, and shrugs to strenthen my neck muscles so they wouldn't strain so much when I would be at the computer for long durations.
I started feeding my body food that it can actually use, rather than just filling the hunger. *that was key for me*
It was really quite effective at how fast those headache disappeared.
Two years ago I did surgery to release the pressure that was caused when tissue in my nose swelled (they don't know the cause). It could be from plants, smoke... whatever, they don't know. I got them again last year around July and they stopped around August, it was almost daily. I didn't have med insurance so I was taking my moms vicoden, and there was a well know headache research place in Houston where I could have gotten help (long story different thread).
It could be stress related for you, so chill out if that's the case. Everyone is different in the triggers for headaches, it could be blood pressure, just go to the doctor and get checked out, do the full tune up.
Need glasses/contacts
Poor lighting
caffeine addiction
stress
Consider clean air via houseplants. Here's a neat talk on plants. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air.html
Bleed profusely.
It does not mean your future behind the pc is done, you just need to be careful with it and find out how to go around not overworking it. (took me two years)
You know what i might have to, might help out a few people.
I played some games yesterday with a buddy, and sitting on the couch even fucked me up.
(yeah even a slight difference in pose or just outside my normal habbits can lead to problems)
Best thing to do is not use a computer for a while and make sure you stay active. go for a walk (without bagpack), do some all around stuff that does not ask too much of your muscles but still keep em moving. So dont use weights to excercise because that will kill you too. Just circle your shoulders and move your arms around a bit every 15 min or so (gently, dont go windmilling like crazy) Keep it warm! wear a scarf or hooded sweater ect, make sure those muscles can relax and stay warm. (massages can be nice, but i experienced it to work against me alot so if you get those, keep them light)
Ill start writing up some does and donts that help me out alot and how i deal with this.
btw, " get weird pains/numbness around the crown of my head"
that is probably the tendons attach points to your skull that are being pulled by the muscle tention, i experience this pretty much everytime i go to far, is nice \o/
question, how is your blood circulation? You get cold bodyparts like fingers or feet when not moving for a while?
Also what a few others said about your spine ect is important to have checked
Someone i worked with had alot of headaches, sometime later he just dropped down, tumor.
Having a specialist look at health problems is always recommendable.
(dont worry though, btw my headaches mostly run along the sides forming some sort of band around my head)
I'd second the chiropractor suggestion. What kind of chair do you use? A few years back I had similar symptoms, and it got so bad I couldn't even drive to the grocery store.
I thought my neck was the main problem as that's where the pain was most intense, but it turns out my lower back was misaligned, and my spine was compensating to support my head, giving me the neck pain.
Your symptoms sound like it's more of a musculoskeletal problem as opposed to caffeine headaches or monitor issues.
Tumors usually have other symptoms that indicate the problem, like dizziness and impaired motor functions. I had doctors test me for what they call a 'space-occupying lesion' when I was diagnosed with migraines, so it's probably not that if you don't have the other symptoms, but get it checked out ASAP.
If your having tension headaches try and be more aware of what your behavior is when your stressed, do you clench your jaw? Or maybe your muscles get tense? Just being aware of these things help, and if you clench your jaw you might have developed TMJ which can lead to chronic headaches. There's lots of dentists out there that specialize in treating this that might be able to help you if you want more options.
Another thing that worked for me as far as stress relief is yoga, I know its not a manly thing to do but it really helps especially if you carry a lot of your stress in your muscles. Even if you dont get hard core into yoga there are a few stretches and things you can do at your desk to help that you might not know of already. Also you have learn to take the time to relax and not just stretch, the relaxation part of streching is like 90% of how it works.
I know its hard for us to remember to do this but you have to take more breaks! Set a timer for every 30-45 mins and just get up and walk around. It sucks but it can help.
Also make sure you are eating regularly acording to your own metabolisim. Sometimes headaches can be caused by having low blood sugar, so if you feel hungry dont just wait until lunch, get a snack, and try snacking between meals. This is something I didnt realise would help but it actually does, and a lot of people dont think of it.
I think everyone else probably covered a lot of good tips, but those are my suggestions from my experience. I hope you can get help! Be careful though, chronic issues even when your getting help can be hard to deal with, watch how much medicine you are taking, some pain meds are super addictive, and doctors usually hand them out like candy and then cut you off when they think you have had too much. Make sure your taking care of yourself not only physically, but mentally too, stress can lead to a lot of issues like this and sometimes its as simple as dealing with some issues you might have and you could see these problems lessen. Good Luck!
A snack does not have to be 3 donuts. Try an apple for example :P
Actually, the new thing is to have 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones.
if i miss some, id get headache also
Happens to me once after a while. I found that if you go to a dark room and lie down for a while, you will feel that tensed headache starts draining away. So its computer and lights for me.
I take 2 tylanols 250mgs and go to sleep for 2-4 hours. Also I have been meaning to buy a filter screen for my monitor when I buy new computer or upgrade my own computer
Rens, yes i have freezing hands and feet and bad circulation. people comment that i'm like a vampire if they touch my hands.
i think it's time to go to a neurologist, as i hope this isn't something worse. i mean my aunt has MS and my mom has migraines, i'm beginning to think that it might be more than my circulation or posture (as i'm working on those quite a bit with not too huge of an improvement).
tumor would suck, obviously...fortunately i had an mri last year (though it wasn't looking for any problems, it was for a study on adolescent brain). if it is something like a tumor, i'm just gonna hope that it's not too developed.
regardless, the fact that i do have bad blood circulation is a good sign, because at least it's something to work on.
(through this post, im asuming you are having the same kind of neck problems)
You should be able to notice your neck being hard/stiff/tensed/colder, notice you are holding your shoulders high because of it, or clansing your jaw, or any in those directions
The pains from your neck causing headaches can be unbearable.
At one point my neck was so cramped up that i could not sleep from the pain, just a few hours a day and was quite the zombie. Eating through strips of painkillers wich hardly helped anymore. These pains sometimes eased but hunted me for a long time, heavy pains lasting days before i really got back to normal, took me alot of months.
Talking about sleeping, im glad when i get a good night of sleep, and wake up without any stiffness in my neck. I mostly sleep in a hooded sweater or something warm to keep my neck from freezing.
Start thinking about how you spend your days, what you do, how you do it, am i sitting correctly or am i laying in my chair, or leaning on my desk, what is a relaxed posture and notice when you are tensing your muscles ect
At my last internship, i started to go down the same road again and i installed a program that made me stretch every 5 min, made me stretch longer every 15 min, and stand up every so much, and that really helped my from getting rusty. (i can actualy feel a difference in my hands when i do or dont, they stay warmer)
I also started drinking dayly because it made me feel all warm and relaxed, though its a tasty solution, its more like an old tribal medicine then any real problem solver.
Also when taking anything against the pain, dont let it fool you into doing things because you " feel better "
At this point id say, really step away from the computer and give it a break while you still can, dont make it any worse then it already is. Shit can hit fast and it is hard to recover from, and you only get one body, so be careful with it.
Ill look into writing my experience down tomorrow, need to make some notes and stuff,
its quite broad and exp over almost 3 years time now, plus i need to re- re- re-read it.
It might be a job killer for any staff reading, but you can cheat, you just need to figure out how
How's the lighting in your computer room?
This is what I mean by snacks between meals, its more important that your providing your body a means to keep balance in your metabolism, even those of us who don't have diabetes can still suffer from low blood sugar and have symptoms from it, fortunately for us these problems can be solved with light healthy snacks. (my favorite is the granola bar)
could also be a inflamated eye(the colored stuff, it seems i have that from time to time) makes one photosensitive and gived headaches but goes away
IT'S NOT A TUMAH!!!
You just solved your problem. Bad posture causes neck tension. Constant tension in the neck muscles causes tension headaches. Trigger points that refer pain.
Before taking any pills that temporarily cover up the pain...go see a professional massage therapist. Not a salon therapist. Look for one located near a hospital, or next to a chiropractor. Get treatment for your back and neck. And sit at your computer with better posture. Do some small workout or activity to balance out your long periods of sitting down to improve blood flow to muscles. And try to drink water regularly.
Some people unknowingly move their head forward to see their screens better when their eyes get tired. They may associate their headaches with poor vision. But it's the way their neck is positioned during this act. Just rest your eyes, and sit up whenever you can.
I never have headaches.
I don't think I can stress it enough but exercise cures all kinds of little problems.
its piercing and is kind of near the front/temple area...
i'm not sure if i need glasses kinda thing, or this is just one of those every now and then headaches - how can i tell?
Burning eyes, (sharp) pain around/ mostly behind your eyes, they can get a glassy/watery look, or even get bloodshot. I mostly experience that one side/eye hurts more then the other.
This mostly comes from long intense hours behind the pc, gaming, bad light setup, putting pressure on your eyes because you actualy need glasses, things along that line.
This kind of pain mostly eases with some rest, can take a good night(s) of sleep or just a few hours of not actively using them. Take a break, see what happens.